Chicago man sentenced to over 5 years for COVID-19 fraud, loaded gun

CHICAGO — A Chicago man was sentenced to over five years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining a PPE loan and possessing a loaded handgun.

Tyjuan Lighthall, 25, was found with an unlawfully purchased firearm, with an extended magazine, in early 2019 while in Rogers Park.

As a previously convicted felon, Lighthall was not legally allowed to possess a firearm. While he was on bond in the gun case, he engaged in COVID-19 relief fraud.

In April 2021, he applied for a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program. Lighthall fraudulently represented to a lender that he was the sole proprietor of a business named “Tyjaun Lighthall,” which purportedly did business under the name “Infinite 5 Creations LLC.”  

After the loan application was approved, the lender deposited nearly $21,000 in Lighthall’s bank account. He pleaded guilty earlier this year to the federal firearm charge and admitted in a plea agreement to the COVID-19 relief fraud.

He was sentenced to 63 months on Thursday.